


It's in his kiss

by fromthedeskoftheraven



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 09:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7797352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromthedeskoftheraven/pseuds/fromthedeskoftheraven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teaching a friend how to kiss stirs up unexpected feelings for Kili.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's in his kiss

You weren’t nearly finished moping when Kili strolled, cheerfully munching an apple, onto the terrace you had chosen as your hiding place.

“I was wondering where you’d disappeared to,” he mumbled through a mouthful. “Big day, eh? Are you excited?”

A closer look at your woeful face brought him up short. 

“ _Oh_.” 

He tossed the apple’s core out into the air to plummet, smaller and smaller, to the valley floor below before leaning on his elbows on the balustrade beside you. 

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” he said encouragingly.

“Easy for you to say,” you lamented. “No one’s trying to marry you off.”

He snorted with laughter. “Please. You know my mother.”

“Fair enough,” you couldn’t help but chuckle, though you quickly sobered again. “Kili, what if I don’t like Durgrim?”

“Then you refuse the match,” he said matter-of-factly. “You know the choice is yours.”

“I know,” you fretted. “But it still feels like I’d be letting everyone down. His father is one of the greatest lords in the Iron Hills, after all.”

“So what?” Kili shrugged. “You’re the one who has to live with him for the next two hundred-odd years. Follow your heart and do what makes you happy.”

“You’re right,” you sighed. “And of course, it’s entirely possible that _he_ might not like _me_ , and all my worrying will have been for naught.”

“He’s a fool if he doesn’t,” Kili said loyally, and you nudged his shoulder with yours in affectionate thanks.

The two of you fell silent, gazing out at the crisp autumn sky, and at last, you worked up the courage to speak again.

“There’s one more thing I’m worried about.”

“What’s that?”

“Well…” you looked studiously down at your hands, and your voice grew small. “What if he wants to kiss me?”

Kili chuckled. “Well, that’s usually how courtship works.”

“I know, but the truth is, I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

“What, _never_?” Kili looked gleefully scandalized, turning around to lean back against the railing and crossing his arms thoughtfully. “What about that one fellow, the cooper’s apprentice? I thought surely you’d have dallied with him.”

“Gruin? No,” you shook your head. “He was too timid to kiss me, and I was too uninterested to kiss him.”

His merriment quickly turned to sympathy. **“You should have told me.”**

“I couldn’t, it’s too embarrassing.”

“Don’t be silly, there’s no shame in it. Everyone has to start somewhere. Besides,” he said. **“I can help you.”**

You frowned. “How?”

“I’ll teach you how to kiss.”

“Teach me to kiss? You mean like…” you trailed off, gesturing back and forth between the two of you.

“Sure,” he said blithely. 

“Don’t you think that would be a bit…odd?”

“Look, how long have we been friends? We used to take baths together when we were pebbles,” Kili pointed out. “You need help, I can help you. Strictly business.”

You arched an eyebrow in skepticism, and his eyes sparkled with his cheeky grin.

“I don’t want to brag, but I’ve been told I’m quite good at it.”

A splutter of laughter escaped you, and you shrugged, throwing inhibition to the wind. “Very well,” you said, “you’d better make it quick, I’ve only got a few hours before Durgrim has his first look at the merchandise.”

“Right, then,” he said, giving you an appraising look as he pushed himself lightly off of the balustrade to stand up straight. “Now, if it’s the very first kiss, he might start by putting his hands on your waist, like so,” he said, bringing his large hands to rest just above your hips. “All right?”

You nodded, glancing down. “What should I do with my hands?”

“Shoulders are a safe bet.”

“Of course.” You rested your hands on Kili’s shoulders, brushing his hair gently out of the way.

“Good. And then…” He leaned close, closer to you than he’d ever been before, and you could feel the warmth of his skin as he murmured, “nice and easy.”

His lips touched yours gently, warm and soft, with the contrast of his stubbled skin more pleasant than you’d expected. They pressed, pillowy, against your mouth, and instinctively you returned their delicate pressure, relaxing when he broke from you.

“All right?” he asked again.

“Fine.”

“Now, that’s more of a ‘getting to know you’ kiss, the polite sort,” Kili explained. “If he really fancies you, he’ll likely be a bit more heated the second time. You’ll want to just stay relaxed,” he tapped his finger lightly on your jawline, “here.”

“Go ahead,” you smiled nervously, finding yourself oddly short of breath, and you caught an answering twinkle in his eye as he tilted his head and leaned in again.

This kiss was still gentle, but now his slightly parted lips moved against yours in a leisurely dance of long, slow presses and shorter, nibbling pecks, his mouth capturing yours and coaxing you to match his motions, which came to you ever more naturally. A strange, pleasant thrill vibrated in the pit of your stomach as the world seemed to fade away but for the tart sweetness of apple that lingered on his lips, the slide of his hands to your back, the softness of his hair between your fingers, and when you abruptly parted, your heart was drumming against your ribs and the confusion in Kili’s hazel eyes mirrored your own. As though awakening from a trance, he quickly released you to step back, thrusting his hands into his pockets.

“ _There_ you are!”

Your mother’s voice was shrill with agitation, and the pair of you flinched as she swept onto the terrace in a flurry of wringing hands.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” she scolded. “Might have known you two had sneaked off somewhere. You’ve not been getting into mischief, have you?”

“No!” You and Kili spoke simultaneously, and with perhaps too much vehemence, for her eyebrows leaped upward.

“No, Mum,” you repeated, more calmly.

“Well, come, child,” your mother said briskly. “It’s time for you to dress. Durgrim will be here soon, and you’re to take him on a little tour so the two of you can get acquainted before supper. Come on, then!”

She herded you toward the doorway like a chicken escaped from the henhouse, and you had time only for a brief, backward glance at Kili before his face – which suddenly wore an uncharacteristically somber expression – disappeared from your sight.

* * *

The hour was late when you knocked softly on Kili’s door, knowing well that he would still be awake, but not wishing to rouse anyone else in the royal wing.

Your heart skipped a beat when he answered the door, clad only in his trousers and lightweight undershirt with his dark hair loose around his face, as though he’d made a halfhearted attempt at getting ready for bed. He frowned at the sight of you, still in your finery. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” you said, and he stepped back, gesturing to the empty sitting room by way of invitation.

He closed the door behind you and paced to the fireplace to lean with his elbow on the mantel, his fingers drumming restlessly on the polished stone while he stared absentmindedly into the crackling flames. His air of distracted agitation was unsettling, and you stepped closer, tilting your head to draw his gaze upward. 

“Kili, is something wrong?”

He was silent, the clenched set of his jaw betraying some internal conflict, and he ran his hand roughly through his hair before bursting out, “you can’t marry Durgrim.”

“I know.”

“I know it’s not my place to tell you what to–” He broke off, looking at you with a bewildered expression. “What?”

“You’re right,” you said. “I can’t marry Durgrim. Especially not when all I want is to kiss you.”

Kili’s short, sharp exhale hinted at a laugh as relief visibly flooded over him, transforming his face with a joyful, ever-widening smile. He came to you, taking both of your hands in his, then suddenly swept you into his arms to whirl you around in a circle, laughing, before setting you back on your feet.

“You mean it?”

“You told me to follow my heart,” you smiled fondly, “and it led me right back here to you.”

He drew you close in a grateful embrace, pressing a kiss into your hair. “Have you formally refused him?”

You nodded. “He departs in the morning for the Iron Hills, where, he informs me, there are women worth ten of me who would be proud to become his wife.”

Kili’s face flushed with anger. “He didn’t.”

“He did. Somehow I can’t seem to care,” you said, cradling his stubbled cheeks in your hands with a tender caress, and his smile quickly returned. 

“How’s your mother taking it?”

“About as well as you’d expect,” you chuckled. “She’s mortified that I’ve scorned such a very important man.”

He grinned wryly. “Tomorrow, let’s go to her together and I’ll ask permission to court you. If it helps, I could remind her that I _am_ decently well-connected, myself.”

“I suppose second in line to the throne isn’t so shabby,” you teased, and he laughed.

“So, tell me…did he ever kiss you?”

“Mahal, no. I didn’t encourage it.” You fairly shuddered at the thought, but a shy smile crept over your face as you added, “you’re still the only person who’s ever kissed me…but I quite like that idea.”

Kili beamed, leaning close to nuzzle your nose with his, and his voice became a playful growl that sent delicious shivers down your spine.

“Oh, _amrâlimê_ ,” he murmured. “Now let me show you how I kiss when I’m in love.”


End file.
